Cops: Woman pointed gun at Gowdy

A woman was arrested Sunday evening for threatening freshman Rep. Trey Gowdy with a gun, according to police.

The South Carolina Republican was in the parking lot of his church in Spartanburg waiting for a family member when Gloria Yvonne Brackett pointed a gun in his direction, a police report said.

Story Continued Below

Brackett asked Gowdy to “stop following her,” the police report says. Gowdy replied that he wasn’t following her but was merely waiting for a family member. After another similar interaction, Gowdy put his car in reverse, and Brackett chased the vehicle on foot. He drove directly to the police department and was escorted back to the church by police officers to pick up his family member.

Brackett, 52, of Jonesboro, Ga., was jailed on charges that she was carrying the weapon illegally, according to local media reports.

There’s no evidence that Gowdy knew Brackett.

In a statement to POLITICO, Gowdy’s office said he was grateful for the police department’s help but declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.

Threats and violence toward members of Congress have been prevalent over the past three years. During the health care debate, lawmakers were threatened, bricks were thrown through windows and town halls around the country turned rowdy. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was the most prominent example.

Gowdy represents a deep red district that stretches from the North Carolina border into central South Carolina. It includes Greenville and Spartanburg.